Temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of the effective wind and solar energy in the Bohai Bay coastal area

This study used the meteorological data of 11 cities to calculate the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of the effective wind and solar energy along the coastal area of Bohai Bay, China. The results show that the effective wind energy decreases with an increased distance from the sea within a 120 km range of the sea; the maximum proportion of the effective wind energy is in the spring, and the minimum is in August. In addition to the effect of latitude, the spatial distribution of solar energy is also related to the proportion of sunlight. The solar energy allocation each month was consistently higher than the effective wind energy in the study area, it comes to maximum in June and minimum in December. Coupling the utilization of wind and solar energy not only extends the utilization time but it can also improve the guarantee rate of clean energy. The gradation of wind and solar energy's combined guarantee rate is greatest in May, followed by June, April, March, and July; the combined energy supply in other months is lower and varies little. The spring and summer months, which have a high proportion of combined wind and solar energy, require the most electricity for agricultural production in the study area. Thus, the supply and demand of energy correspond well and great potential exists for the comprehensive utilization and development of wind and solar energy in the study region. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.